“The word became flesh.” And so the Gospel of St John begins in one of the most famous texts of all time. A beautiful piece of literature, a deep and most spiritual use of words, connected directly to the notion of flesh.

Why then, did such a bad rap for anything physical develop within our system of beliefs over the years? When it comes to our spirituality we tend to associate the body with bad and the spirit with good. “Sins of the flesh,” we call them. Being too con­cerned with the body and the clothes we adorn it with seems to be widely considered shallow and distinctly non-religious.

Perhaps fellow evengelist St Matthew’s direct reference to not worrying too much about the body or our clothes had a little something to do with it. But he also said we should not worry about what we eat, and followed it all by encouraging us to have faith, to focus on the spiritual rather than on material things and symbols like pagans did.

Surely we are not expected to starve? Put into context, it would seem it is the shallowness and materialism we are warned against. So is it indeed shallow and material­istic to take care of your body?

The Christmas season – the most famous pagan-esque religious festival date of them all – is a great time to reflect about these and many other things.

Shallowness and materialism can be so difficult to accurately define. It was at this very same time of year that old-fashioned teachers would lay annual guilt trips on us to this effect. They would make us feel guilty for paying too much attention to the exchange of material gifts and our obsession with a certain jolly fat man in red, rather than true charity and diligent spiritual practice. Perhaps even guilt-tripping itself is one of those practices we’ve decided to do away with all together, or is it?

It’s time to focus on the instrinsic rewards we have to gain from applying our bodies and minds to physical pursuits and purer sources of sustenance

I must admit, my demeanour at this time of year isn’t always tinsel-covered, gift-wrapped or reeking of mulled wine, but that feeling I get when the magical Christmas Santa-worshippers cast their disapproving eye over me, sure feels a lot like guilt.

So perhaps there still is a place for guilt in this modern world of ours after all. It also tends to rear its elusive head when we consider a healthier more active lifestyle; sins of the flesh, conveniently shallow. So with guilt thrown in the mix too, for an even tastier intoxicating Christmas punch of reflection, where does that leave our health, and can the favourite religious holiday of Christmas remind us of anything of value when it comes to getting more active and eating right?

Let us not forget that sloth and gluttony are traditionally deadly sins not only according to our religion, but for other cultures and faiths too. Laziness and greed not only kill off the individual physical body, but as we should very well know, they can spill out and poison societies at large too.

Perhaps we can’t change the big picture but we can certainly start with our own housekeeping duties that lay firmly within the realm of our own influence and respon­sibility. “Charity begins at home,” so one of the most famous charitable figures of our time once said. And so too does good health.

Combatting laziness and greed means more productivity and less consumption or hording. For us, it is the fundamental equation known as energy balance; more activity, less eating. We Maltese are among the most inactive and obese in Europe, frightening statistics in­deed, but are we feeling guilty yet?

If we’re going to let this ancient Christian tradition of guilt influence our lives at all, then why not set its cross-hairs on our national slothfulness and deep fried, puff-pastry-covered greed?

And what of shallowness and materialism? I freely admit, the fitness industry reeks of it. Big bucks are being made selling dreams and fantasies, playing to our senses of vanity, tempting us with promises of a more pleasurable and successful life upon the attainment of supreme physical beauty.

We fitness professionals are often regarded, sometimes in jest, as most glittering examples of modern-day narcissism. Well, perhaps the best New Year’s resolution of all this year should come from the fitness industry itself. There is, after all, plenty of room for improvement.

Statistics indicate that over half of new gym members quit within their first three months of training. So we haven’t exactly nailed it as an industry when it comes to con­verting people in a meaningful and lasting way to healthier and more active lifestyles.

Perhaps it’s time to move away from spandex-clad pageantry and dazzle, and focus instead on the instrinsic rewards we all have to gain from applying our bodies and minds to physical pursuits and purer sources of sustenance.

Some cultures actually regard the body as a vehicle of enlightenment. Certain religions of the East practise forms of what we would call prayer, in a very physical way, or at least in a way whereby mind, body and soul are experienced in concert in the pursuit of spiritual awareness.

Like many other great gifts that will be exchanged over the coming weeks, convincing ourselves and those around us of the intrinsic benefits of exercise and healthy eating won’t cost a cent. If we can’t give to people in need, then perhaps we could give the people we love something they truly need.

matthew.muscat.inglott@mcast.edu.mt

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